Hell's Gate
by SparkDazzleDuez
Summary: In a deserted alley in Tokyo, there is said to be an old, abandoned shop, who's sign always reads "closed." Yet, this sign sometimes reads "open." but when that happens, someone dies. Alternate version of the Hell Correspondence website.


**Okay, this story just kind of popped into my head. It pretty much just explains an alternate, made up, version of the Hell Correspondence website. It's pretty much a background story of this alternate version. Not sure how well it'll turn out, but it's worth a try. **

In Tokyo Japan, the streets are full of bustling crowds and gossiping citizens. Rumors were made and spread almost instantly. Everyone and anyone knew everything that was going on, whether people told them, or they overheard it. But, one of the biggest rumors were about the old, abandoned shop that lied in one of the alleys. It was old, faded, and the sign hanging on the creaky door always read "closed." Yet, even though it is no longer believed to be in service, a majority of the city thought otherwise.

Several people would claim that they walked past this store, and the sign read "open." And, after that happened, the person always died. At first, it was thought to be just a rumor. Kozumi Hideki had reported to the press that she had pasted the store earlier that day, and the sign had read "open." Also, she claimed there was a phone number painted on the window, 124-3662. The press, wanting to have an interesting story, published an article about her experience. It caught the public's eye, but most people regarded it as a ploy for attention. The next day, Kozumi Hideki was reported dead. This incident sparked many's curiosities. More people began visiting the shop, although they always said that the sign read "closed." But, the number had mysteriously appeared. After no one else saw the sign reading "open" for a few months, the rumors died down, and the shop was forgotten again. Almost.

Houjinko Reigoi, a man of high stature, reported to the news that he had seen the sign read "open." He announced publicly that he was going to have guards and surveillance surrounding his house and watching him at all times, so no one could possibly kill him like Kozumi. But, later that night, all of the cameras, monitors, and lights went out for one second. When they came back on, Houjinko was gone. They looked everywhere, but it was like he had disappeared from the house. Only in the early morning did they find him. He was in front of the old shop, the sign reading "closed," dead. No blood nor injuries were seen on his body. The doctors were puzzled at how he died. Finally, they ruled it as a sudden heart attack, since it was the only thing they could come up with, the only logical explanation. The newspapers were filled with articles on it, the front covers showing a picture of Houjinko's body, his face showing eternal horror.

The rumors and gossip about the shop rapidly picked up again, being just about the only thing that was talked about. More and more people went to go see the shop, yet still, no one reported seeing the sign say "open." Even so, this time, the rumors didn't die out. Two almost identical events had happened, and it wasn't just a coincidence. Overly exaggerated tales and fantasized theories started getting published. The rumor of the old shop grew to be very popular. Although, many people still saw it only as a tale. Only two people had died after reporting to have seen the sign open. Not too much evidence. But, all doubts were changed about a year after Houjinko died.

Yomi Fukamori was a curious rookie reporter. the case of the old shop interested her. She proceeded to gather anything she could about the matter, listening to rumors, investigating the theories, and looking deeply into the past two cases. Soon, her investigation led her to look at the old shop herself. She was never seen again. Her fellow reporters all claimed that she had announced she was going to go look at the old shop before she left the building. No one else claimed to have seen her again. Her body was never found. The people of Tokyo all seemed to believe she had gone to the shop and saw the sign say "open." The only thing that puzzled them was that she hadn't reported it to the press and that her body was never found. Though, their questions were answered a week later. Daimo Geinomoi wrote a letter to the police. He claimed it was his fault Yomi had died. He said that he had called the number that was on the window, and someone actually answered. They said that he could send someone to Hell if he wanted to, but only at the cost of his own soul destined to go to Hell when he died. All he had to do, was tell them the person's name and it would be done. The person would have to go to the shop soon, it would be like a fated urge. And then, they would send the person to Hell. Daimo wrote that the person on the other line gave him the chance to decide when he wanted to send the person to Hell, for it was only right that he have some time to think about it. Also, he had the power to prevent the person from going to Hell, as all he had to do was call the number 266-8368 and the contract would be broken. He had selected that Yomi be sent to Hell right away, and requested her body not be found. Daimo explained that he was jealous and resentful that Yomi, a young rookie reporter, had gotten so much information on the shop. Much more than he had accomplished even though he's been working on it since the rumors first started. He wrote the letter out of guilt for what he had done, and hoped to be somewhat forgiven. And he was. The press published his letter, and soon, Daimo became very popular. People everywhere came to him, asking him to explain how the shop worked. The rest of his life was easy and enjoyable for him. And when he died, even though he was going to Hell, he felt happy. He had achieved his original goal from the start. He had become popular and a famous person people would always remember. He never cared about what he had done to Yomi. He did this all for publicity. And he was satisfied.

After this event, more and more people started dying, some got to say they saw the sign say "open," others disappeared without a trace. No one thought it was simply a rumor anymore. Some people wanted to use this system to take control of Tokyo, threatening to send citizens to Hell if they didn't obey. But these people found that the number they dialed did not exist. It seemed, that only people who truly wished to send someone to Hell, someone who truly hated someone, could access the system. And to this day, the story of the old shop still exists, and people are still dying.

Are you wondering what this shop's name was? Well, it's exactly what it is. The shop's name is:

Hell's Gate

**Okay, so there's my story. Probably not the best, but it was something that came to my mind after seeing a book called "Closed for the Season." I got the idea of an old, abandoned shop that always read closed. And, my thoughts drifted to Hell Girl and the idea of people dying when the sign said open came to me. Thus, this story was born. I really hope to get some feedback, as this is my first Hell Girl story and I want to know how I did. It's also my first published story on here in awhile. Also, about the phone numbers, if you look at a telelphone, there are letters as well as numbers on the buttons. The first number is actually 1 then I spelt out Ai Enma's name. The second one, I spelt out "content" as in the person was content and their anger and hate was forgotten.  
**

**Until Next Time,**

**SparkDazzleDuez  
**


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